Even though the demand for printing paper is declining because of the reduced amount of printed materials, there is an increase in the production of packaging paper. Cellulose is the most widely spread natural polymer in paper and cardboard.
- We develop versatile new recipes for paper, including from recycled fibers,
- We perform testing of various properties of fiber materials.
We look at the production of cellulose fibers in a broader biorefinery context, to transform biomass of little value into not only fibers, but other added-value products, too.
We expand the versatility of packaging materials, through research about composite materials, which combine different natural fibers and biopolymers, for example, chitosan. We develop packaging materials from fungi mycelium and agriculture/forestry wastes, as well as wood residues (sawdust) and synthetic polymers, thus producing materials with diverse properties and applications.